'It has to come from the top' - Gautam Gambhir lashes out at Sourav Ganguly for endorsing negative things in Indian cricket

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has recently come up with some harsh opinions while talking about the fantasy sports in cricket. He was in a conversation with The Indian Express where he slammed the increasing trend of surrogate advertising and endorsement in Indian sports.

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This rise has been observed in the last few years due to the involvement of some renowned personalities from the sports sector. Speaking specifically about cricket, then there are a few fantasy sports applications that are leading the chart and they are also the sponsors for the Indian cricket board.

If the BCCI president (Ganguly) is doing it, you can’t expect other players not to do it - Gautam Gambhir

Former veteran southpaw Gambhir went on to defend many cricketers who are endorsing the fantasy applications by hitting directly at the president of the Indian cricket board, Sourav Ganguly.

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“If the BCCI president (Ganguly) is doing it, you can’t expect other players not to do it. If he says that no one should be allowed to do it, I think everyone should follow that … It has to come from the top. Either we should ban this completely in India. It can’t be state-wise. And no one should be allowed to endorse that,” said Gambhir during a conversation with The Indian Express.

“I personally do not believe in all that and was always against people endorsing alcohol, tobacco, and even for that matter, even this (online betting). I don’t like that because it is a collective responsibility to see what should and should not be promoted in India, especially from the youngsters’ point of view,” he added later.

Later on, the BJP MP also shared his experience of endorsing fantasy applications in the gone times.

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“I do endorse fantasy (games). I was also very clear that we had this apprehension at one point in time about whether we should or not. Fantasy and betting are probably a little similar, but not exactly the same. When I spoke to the owner of the fantasy game I endorse, I asked if they pay back in cash. He said no, we don’t pay back in cash. There are only gifts and hampers involved,” concluded Gambhir.